Railway-track making and laying machine.



Patented Mar. 12, I90I.

-A. BEEBE. RAILWAY TRACK MAKING AND LAYING MACHINE.

A lieezionma Mar. 24, 1900.

4 Shee ts8haet (ND MDCIQIA) I INVENTO TTORNEX.

WITNESSES THE NORRIS PETERS c0. Puoro'Lrmn. \wsumerowp. c.

No. 669,777. Patented Mar. I2, mm

A. BEEBE.

RAILWAY TRACK MAKING AND LAYING MACHINE.

(Appliation filed Mm: 24, 1900.& (No ModeI.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES BY Q g ATTORNEY.

THE "cams PETERS 00., mamuwa. wnsumarom n. c;

No. 669,777. Patent ad Mar. I2, I90I.

' A. BEEBE. V

RAILWAY TRACK MAKING AND LAYING MACHINE (Application filed Mar. 24, 1900.)

{No Model.)

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Patented Mar. l2, 190i."

. A. BEEBE. I RAILWAY TRACK MAKING AND LAYING MACHINE.

(Application filed Mar. 24, 1900.) I

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model- I ZZNVENTOZ. B) W6! q' m ZTORNEY.

llNiTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBFBT BEEBE, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

RAILWAY-TRACK MAKING AND LAYING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,777, dated March 12, 1901.

Application filed March 24, 1900.

To all whom it 71210.3 concern:

Beit known that I, ALBERT BEEBE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Track Making and Laying Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved ma-; chine for making and laying complete sec-' tions of railroad-track; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide an apparatus in which railroad cross-ties and rails may be assembled and arranged in the order in which they are laid and then to spike the cross-ties to the rails with power-operating hammers and then to lower the made-up section of track to the road-bed, and, second, to provide mechanism for bending the rails. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal side elevation showing certain parts in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation of Figs. 1 and 2 on line A. Fig. 4 is a front end elevation of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged rear end elevation of the rail-bending device. Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the railbending device.

Fig. 1 is an enlarged side of the elevation of the rail-bending device. Fig. 8 is a perspective fragmentary view of the track-lowering device. Fig. 9 is an enlarged end elevation of the device that grips and supports the rails when lowering completed sections of track. Fig. 10 is a section of one of the ropewvinding sheaves. Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of thecross-tie-supporting trucks and their conveying-chain. Fig. 12 is a section of one of the cross-tie-supporting trucks and its roller. Fig. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of the spikeholding and hammerdriving and cross-tiesupporting device. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the vertically-adjustable guide that Serial No. 10,101. (No model.)

holds the spike driving hammer centrally over the rails.

Similar figu res of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views. Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a flat car; 2, its truck; 3, its wheels. Upon the flat car a suitable supporting-framework 4 is erected, consisting of framed joists, studs, and beams, and at its forward end two masts 5 are erected. These are connected by a cross-beam 6. The masts have a hinged joint 7, which allows their tops to be swung down over the top of the framework of the car.

The tops of the masts are supported by rods 8,

9, and 10. The rods 8 and 9 are connected by a turnbuckle 11, and the rods 8 and 10 are connected by a hook and eye 11. The opposite end of the rod 9 is secured to the sides of the framework of the car. The tops of the masts are also connected by ropes 12 and 13 to the ends of two supporting-beams 14 and 15, to which they are attached in any suitable manner. The beams extend between and are supported by two pairs of rollers 16 and 17, which are journaled on shafts 16 and 17 in boxes 18 and 19. These boxes are secured to the side studs 20 of the framework. These beams are spaced at preferably the same distance apart as the gage the completed rails are to be laid at. They are held extended out from the car by a pin 21, that passes freely through them and the adjacent posts. They are arranged to be run back into the car in the direction of the arrow 22 when not in use. This can be done when the hammer mechanism is run to the rear of the car. To the outer end of each of the beams 14 and 15 there is'suspended from ropes 22 23, and 21 a trough-shaped track-lowering beam 25, (see Fig. 29,) which is adapted to normally fit up close under and on each side of the beams 14 and 15. Completed sections of track are suspended from these beams by trolleytongs 15. These tongs comprise the tongs-legs 15 and 15 These legs are pivotally connected together and cross one another at the pivotal joint 15 and their upper ends are pivotally secured to flanged trolley-wheels 15, which are placed on the upper edges of the sides of the beams. The ropes 22, 23, and 24 run over pulleys 26, 27, and 28, which are jonrnaled in slots 28,

Ioo

cut through and between the top and bottom sides of the beams 14 and 15. (See Fig. 8.) From these pulleys these ropes extend to and are secured at one end to the trough-shaped beams, and their opposite ends are secured to sheaves 29, which are journaled to a shaft 31, that is supported in boxes 32, which are secured to the top portion of the framework of the car. These sheaves are arranged in grou ps of three, each group being in line with its respective beam. Each rope is secured to and wound around its sheave, as shown in Fig. 10. The sheaves are secured to the shaft in any convenient manner and are driven by a friction-clutch, which consists of the part 33, which is loose on the shaft, the part 35, which is secured to the shaft and its shipper 36, and the chain 36, which is belted to the pulley 37 on the driving-shaft '38 of the power-supplying engines 39. The shipper is supported to the framework by a rod 40. At one end of the shaft a common form of brake-wheel 41 and band 42 and a ratchet and segment 43 and brake-lever 44 are arranged to brake and lock the shaft-sheaves, ropes, and the rail-lowering beams up against the beams or in any desired position, while the friction-brake and engine are used for lowering the completed sections of track and hoisting the track-lowering beams up again to the supporting-beams.

The drivingshaft is driven by engines which are provided with exhaust-pipes 47 and steam-inlet pipes 48, which are connected to a suitable steam-supply. On the driving-shaft a sprocket-wheel 49 is secured, from which a chain 50 extends to a sprocket-wheel 51, secured on a shaft 52, that is journaled in boxes 53, attached to the framework of the car. A friction-clutch 54, a part of which is integrally connected to the sprocket-wheel 49 and a shipper 55 to operate the parts of the friction-clutch, is operatively mounted on the shaft. Upon this shaft at the central portion of the car I secure two sprocket-wheels 55 and 56, spacing them a short distance apart. A sprocket-chain 57, which may be of any suitable design, runs on the sprocket- Wheels and extends to and is mounted on two similar wheels 57 and 58 on a shaft 59,which is journaled in boxes 60, attached to the framework at the opposite end of the car. Between the sprocket-chains a chain comprising a plurality of trucks 61 is placed. Each truck in the truck-chain is preferably connected to the sprocket-chains at each end by a pin 62, which passes through the ends of the trucks and preferably forms the connecting pivotal pin of the links of the sprocketchains, as shown in Fig. 11. The underside of these trucks is made hollow, and a roller 63 is pivotally secured in each truck by a pin or bolt 64. (See Fig. 12.) The rollers of the trucks run on a fioor 65, which is supported above the car at intervals by posts 66. These trucks are adapted to support and convey the cross-ties of the rails.

The car is preferably divided into three sections, the first of which is at the rear of the car, where the cross-ties 135 and rails 113 are assembled on the truck-chain, the second or central sections where the cross ties are spiked to the rails, and the third section where the completed track is connected to the extending beam and is run out in front of the car in a position to be lowered onto the road-bed. Under the central section of the truck-chain a system of levers is employed to raise the cross-ties ofi of the trucks and to provide a solid foundation for the cross-ties while driving the spikes into them. This device comprises the levers 67, which are each pivotally supported intermediate of their ends between two parallel beams 68 and 69, that are supported by posts 70. -The upper ends of these levers are curved and bear against the under side of a beam 71, that rests on the levers and-normally stands just below and clear of the cross-ties as they are conveyed along by the truck-chain. The lower ends of the levers are connected bya rod 72 to one another and to the piston of a steam or air cylinder 73, which is connected to a steam or air supply by the pipe 74. The levers are each adjusted to the rod to all bear evenly on the under side of the beam. A set of levers and the beams are arranged on each side of the truck and sprocket-chains in a position to raise the ends of the cross-ties from the trucks, which is done by an outward stroke of the piston of the cylinder, which throws the levers forward and raises the beams against the cross-ties and raises the ties enough to take their weight off of the trucks.

In the central section of the car a cage 75 of framework extends across the framework of the car and is mounted on wheels 76 to run on rails 77, secured to the top timbers of the framework of the car. This cage depends from the top of the cars framework in two square sections, one depending over each rail. These sections comprise posts depending in the form of a square. Around each a sleeve 78 is slidably mounted, which is provided with a recess in each end slightly larger than the rail, that allows it to drop over its respective rail, and thus acts as a guide for the hammer 79, which depends from the piston-rod 80 of the cylinder 8l, which is suspended in the center of the square cages and is supported by straps 82, secured to the frame of the cages. The hammer-body is provided with guideways in its side edges which register in ways 83, that project from the sides of the cages. The lower ends of the hammers are bifurcated into two spike-driving hammers 84 and 85. (See Fig. 13.) These hammers are provided with a recess 85 in their faces, which operates to center the head in the face of the hammers and prevents the spikes 85 from flying away from the hammers in case they are not struck squarely. The hammers are arranged to straddle the rails and drive a spike on each side at the same time and are two or three blows of the hammer.

each preferably arranged slightly to one side of the center of the body of the hammer, so that the spikes will be driven at one side of each other in the cross-ties. The spikes are placed in a pair of tongs 86 and are held in a vertical position by them until they receive The tongs that hold the spikes are arranged to be opened and closed by a lever 87, that is pivoted to the cages between its ends. One end of the lever 87 contains a slot 88 and is pivotally attached to one end of two arms 89 and 90, the opposite end of each of which is pivot-ally secured to the legs of the tongs. These legs are pivoted intermediate of their ends to the sides of the sleeves, and an expanding spring 91 is placed between their pivotal points and their ends, which is adapted to hold the upper ends apart and their lower ends together. Their ends are bent to extend under the sleeve and to extend to and under the hammers, where the'two legs have a square recess 91 bent in each, which registers opposite each other and fits around a spike and holds it securely. By a slight vertical movement of the lever 87 the legs of the tongs are either opened or closed. These tongs and levers are arranged at opposite sides of each sleeve, so that the spikes on each side of each rail can be held by them. Thus a man can drop spikes down through the square recesses of each pair of tongs and they will stand vertically under the hammer, and after they have been struck two or three times by raising the lever 87 the tongs will be opened out of the way of the blows of the hammers. A roller 92 is pivoted in a bracket 93, that is secured to the side of the sleeves facing the rails, which acts as a gage to allow the box to maintain a similar and suitable position on rails of different heights.

The triphammer cylinders are provided with exhaust-pipes 94 and feed-pipes 95, that lead to a source of steam or air supply. A throttle-valve 96 is placed in the feed-pipes, by which the force of the blows struck by the hammers can be regulated. Upon the central portion of the driving-shaft of the engine I secure two beveled friction-disks 97 and 98, which are illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and 6. These disks are secured to the shaft so as to be rotated by it and are slidably secured to it. A hub portion is provided on the disks, to which two shipping-levers 100 and 101 are attached. These levers are supported by a stand 102, secured to the floor of the car. Between these friction-disks I place a beveled friction-disk 103 on a shaft 104,

which is journaled in a support 105, that extends across the car (see Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7) in position to be engaged by either one of the friction-disks as desired by means of the shipping-levers. The shaft 104 extends to a rail-bending device which is positioned under the track-chain at the rearendof thecar, but which, if desired, may be placed on a separate car or be placed at the rear of the track-chain on an extension of the car. This rail-bending device comprises two duplicate mechanisms, which receive and bend two independent lengths of rails at one operation. The rail-bending device is preferably arranged to hold the rails at substantially the same distance apart as the gage the track is to be made up at. The rail-bending device is arranged to travel along the bed of the car a distance equal to the length of the rails, anda pair of rails 113 is placed on the bed of the car and in operative relation to the rail-bending device before the rail-bending device is started up, the rails themselves remaining at rest and stationary on the car while they are bent.

In bending rails for a curve it is very seldom that a curve of more than one or one and a half inches is needed in the length of a rail. This slight curve is hardly noticeable in a single length of rail. The rail-bending device comprises a frame which is composed of two short parallel side pieces 106, extending lengthwise of the shaft 104. These side pieces are con nected by integral transverse pieces 107, that depend down and surround loosely the shaft 104:. There are four of these transverse portions, (see Fig. 6,) and between each two a gear 108 is mounted on the shaft 101 and keyed there by a feather 108, secured in the gears, which fits loosely in a keyway 109 in the shaft. The frame has a bottom portion 106 containing depending sockets 110, in which are supported the yokes 111. yokes 111 are arranged to fit loosely in the sockets and to reciprocate in them. Each one of these yokes has a curved 100p 111 at its free ends, in which a wheel 111 is pivot ally mounted on a bolt 112. These wheels are formed to bear on the ball or tread of the outsideof a rail 113. Two rails can be bent at a ti me. Consequently the yokes are arranged in opposite order transversely of the frame and rails and are connected together by a right and left hand screw 114:, which is threaded in upward-projectinglugs 115, formed on the yokes. A worm-gear 115 is secured in the center of the shaft and a worm-pinion 116 is mounted on a shaft 117-and meshes into the worm-gear. The shaft 117 is supported by a bearing 118 and extends to the end of the car. Its free end 117 is formed to receive a wrench (see Fig. 7) by which the screw maybe turned through the medium of the worm-pinion and gear and the yokes move toward the rails to force the rail-wheels against the rails or to move them away from the rails. Upon the opposite side of each rail from the wheels of the yokes and centrally between them a single wheel 118 is journaled to the end of a vertical shaft 120, which extends through the bottom and top portions of the frame. These wheels act as an abutment for the wheels of the yoke. A bevel gear 121 is secured to each of these Vertical shafts, which meshes into a bevel-gear 122, that is secured to a shaft 123, that is journaled in depending lugs 124,

These formed on the under side of the top of the frame of the rail-bending device. A gear 125 is secured to the shaft 123 between the lugs 124, which meshes with the gears 108 on the driving-shaft 104:, which extends beyond the rail-bending device, and its end is journaled in a supporting-bearing 126, that extends across the rear end of the car. From the under side of the ends of each yoke a bracket 127 depends, in which a roller 128 is .pivoted, which bears on the floor of the car. These rollers prevent the device from swinging or tipping on the shaft. From the center of the bottom part of the frame a bracket 129 depends, to which a roller 130 is pivotally attached. This roller bears on a rail 131, secured to the floor of the car.

The operation of my track-making machine is as follows: The engines are preferably kept running all the time the track is being made and put together, and the several elements of the machine are thrown in running order by means of the shippers and friction-clutches. If straight tracks are to be made, the crossties and rails are placed directly on the rear section of the truck-chain; but if a section of curved track is to be made the rails must.

be bent or curved to some predetermined radius before they are placed on the truck-chain. To make a curved section of track, the yokes of the rail-bending device are unscrewed to separate the roller-wheels 118 and 111 far enough apart to allow a rail to be pushed along the floor between them. Then the rails 113 are pushed between them along the floor of the car until the ends of the rails strike the foot of the support 133. The screw of the yoke is then turned to tighten the three rollerwheels of each individual rail-bending mechanism and each wheel 118 is set tight enough against its respective rail to bend or give to the rail the desired amount of curvature. The beveled friction-disk 99 on the main driving-shaft of the engine is thrown in contact with the beveled disk 103 on the shaft 104,

-and itis rotated to turn the gears 108, which drive the gears 125. These drive the beveled gears and they turn the rail-wheels118, which have the two rails 113 between them, and the wheels 111 The wheels 118 are forced against the rails 113 so hard by the screw that they are turned by the driving mechanism of the bending device and of the engines along the side of the ball or tread of the rails, and thus feed or roll the whole rail-bending device along the whole length of the rails in the direction of the arrow 13 1, 'thegears 108 sliding along the shaft while being rolled by it, with the exception of a few inches at each end, which is not noticeable in such slight curves. The friction-disk that is used to feed the device is then thrown out, and the opposite disk is thrown, which feeds the bending device back again to the opposite end of the rail when this disk is thrown out, and the shaft 104 stops rotating. The yokes are then unscrewed and the rails withdrawn. Orossties are then laid one on each truck in this section, and the rails are laid on them. The truck-chain is then caused to move forward by throwing in the friction-clutch, that r0- tates its forward sprocket-shaft until the ties and rails have moved into the second section, when the clutch is thrown out and the truck-chain stops, leaving the forward ends of the rails under the sleeves. The spikes are then placed in the tongs and driven into the ties by the hammers, thus spiking the ties and rails together, the cages and their framework being rolled along their rails on top of the car-framework from tie to tie. After the spiking is all completed the cages are rolled back to the opposite end of the rails ready to receive the next section. The truckchain is then started up, and the completed section is run into and out of the third section. As the forward end of the rails reaches the end of the rail-lowering beams a pair of tongs is placed on them and its wheels are placed on the top edges of the opposite sides of the beams, as shown in Fig. 9, and when the center of the rails reaches the end of the rail-lowering ties a second set of tongs is placed on them and on the beams, and a set is also placed on the end of the rails and ties as it leaves the truck-chain. The completed section is now rolled outward on the beams and is lowered with the beams by the brakelever 44 and brake band and wheel 11 and 12 and the ratchet-segment 13 and the ropes 22, 23, and 24.

After the sections of completed track are lowered to the road-bed the tongs are thrown off and the beams are hoisted up by means of the friction-clutch and chain 36, extending to the driving-shaft of the engines.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a track-laying machine, the combination of a car, a power-driving engine in said car, an endless chain mounted on said car adapted to hold cross-ties, rails arranged on said ties, tongs arranged to hold spikes in a position to be driven into said cross-ties, a steam-cylinder, a piston in said steam-cylinder and a hammer on the end of said piston arranged and adapted to drive said spikes into said cross-ties, substantially as described.

2. In a track-laying machine the combination of a car, power-engines and a drivingshaft mounted on said car, supporting-beams extending out in front of said car, collapsible masts on the front of said car, means for supporting said beams from said masts, means including ropes and sheaves, trolley-tongs, a brake and friction hoisting-clutch and power connection with said driving-shaft for lowering completed sections of rails and ties from said car, substantially as described.

3. In a track-laying machine, the combination with the car, of an endless cross-tie supporter and conveyer, a power-hammer arranged and adapted to drive spikes and to spike the cross-ties to both rails on a section 669,77? ESE at a time, and means for lowering each completed section or track from the car onto the road-bed, substantially as described.

4. In a track-laying machine the combination with the car and framework, of the powersupply, of the rail-bending device, the rail and cross-tie spiking power-hammers, the endless track-conveyer, the lowering device for lowering the completed sections of track from the car, and the power mechanisms for centrally operating the conveyer, the lowering machinery, the spike-driving mechanism and the railbending mechanism, substan' tially as described.

5. In a track-laying machine, the combination with the car and its framework, of powersupplying engines mounted'on said car, an endless conveyer arranged to support and convey cross-ties at suitable distances apart across said car, power trip-ham mers arranged to drive spikes into said cross-ties to bear on said rails, and spike-holding tongs arranged to hold said spikes in a hammer-driving position, substantially as described.

6. In a track-laying machine, the combination with the car and its framework, of powersupplying engines mounted on said car, an endless conveyer arranged to support and convey cross-ties at suitable distances apart across said car, power trip-hammers arranged to drive spikes into said cross-ties to bear on said rails and spike holding tongs arranged to hold said spikes in a hammer-driving position, and a table arranged to support the upper part of said cross-tie conveyer, substantially as described.

ranged to connect the opposite ends of said levers together and a power-cylinder and piston arranged to operate said rod and levers to raise said beams and cross-ties 0E of said con veyer while spiking them to the rails, substantially as described.

8. In a track-laying machine the combination with the car, the framework on said car' and the power-driving engines and drivingshaft, of a shaft arranged to be driven from said driving-shaft, means for starting or stopping, and 'for reversing the rotative direction of said shaft, the rail-bending mechanism operatively connected and driven by said shaft and arranged to bend two rails at a time, an endless conveyer-chain operati-vely mounted to be intermittently rotated a predetermined distance from said power-engines and driving-shaft and arranged and adapted to support and convey in operative relation both rails and cross-ties of a section ofrrailroadtrack, a power trip-hammer, spike-driving mechanism arranged over each rail, a suitable guide for positioning said rails to the desired gage of track, and for guiding said rails under said trip hammer, means including tongs for holding spikes in proper position to be driven into said cross-ties to secure them to said rails and means including said powerengines and driving-shaft for lowering the completed spiked rails and ties from the car to a road-bed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\ ALBERT BEEBE.

Witnesses:

CLAUDE A. DUNN, BESSIE THOMPSON. 

